Restoring faded paint

[kcfirstbuild]

I have a blue 68 chevy Lwb, but the hood looks gray. Its been sitting for 12 years if not more in a barn/shed. Today I was curious if I could get it back to the original color, so started going at it with some polishing compound and well under that gray was the blue I was looking for. I only did a small test spot, but even that took me a while to do.

I was wondering what is the best/Correct way to restore faded paint?



I would upload a picture but I can't get my pictures to upload.

[19673ontree]

go to an auto part's store and get a foam buffing pad and some 3M rubbing compound to bring out the color , then 3M polishing compound to brighten it up , for a final shine you need a good haze and swirl remover ! that is the best way to do it ,,,,

[kcfirstbuild]

Ok good so I was on the right track. I wasn't sure if I should go with rubbing compund/ polishing compound or go with heavy and light grit/cuts. I work at a parts house, so i can pick up that stuff up no problem. I know a thing or two about parts but nothing about paint and body. Do you recommend working it by hand or buffer?

[19673ontree]

do it with a low speed buffer FOAM PAD WHITE ! the black pads are too rough for what you are trying to do , look in the back of the part's store and see if you have any 3M PINK FILL-N-GLAZE the stopped making it but it was a great product for what you are doing you would put it on by hand for the final shine it was great with faded paint , but if you can get the two compund's that 3M make's the rubbibg then the polishing with a white pad it will do the job !

[airdale94]

I use Meguire's. Heavy cut cleaner on a wool pad with a high speed buffer. I have a Harbor Freight sander/polisher. Be careful don't hold in one place to long. Also be careful on edges. I then hand wax it with Show Car Glaze then Yellow Wax.

[70c/10barebone]

Take your time and use the least aggressive method to get the job done. I do some detailing as a hobby and can easily spend 20 plus hours getting oxidized single stage paint buffed out.
my process
Wash
Clay

Correction Time -- You have to evaluate the paint and then choose your tools.
Compound Meguiars 105
Polish Meguiars 205
These are arguably the best polish combo and are huge step up from diminishing abrasive technology polishes. They are more expensive but worth it.

Optional pure polish (Megs 07)
seal (Megs 26 Hi tech yellow) or your favorite wax.

If the paint is thin with any primer visible I would steer clear of power tools and work by hand only.

You may want to try a strong cleaner wax all in one like ColorX by meguiars. Put it on heavy work it around with a terry towel. It is great stuff and will save a lot more of your paint then a multi step correction.

Dual action polishers are easier to use and safer for beginners then rotary polishers.
I am active on autogeek.net and you can find a lot of info over there.
Craig

[19673ontree]

a wool pad WILL BURN THRU THE PAINT TOOO EASY ! you could use a wool pad if you were a pro and did it everday which he already said he doe's not ,
A WHITE FOAM PAD WILL SLOWLY BUT SURELY BUFF IT OUT !

the foam pad's are color coded white is fine black is rough

[AusTx68]

I once to had a beautiful 64' Impala in fire engine red. When I bought it the paint was heavily oxidized. To bring it back, I hit it with a cleaning compound and immediately followed that with orbital buffer using a wax/polish mix. Took several hours but damn it looked good!

I found there are cleaning compounds and polishing compounds. My paint required a cleaning compound the first time. Later applications I used a polishing compound. I say later because once you finish, you have to keep it waxed or the paint will start to oxidize and it happens very fast. I literally had to orbital buff it every weekend to keep it looking good.

[kcfirstbuild]

Well Im Sure a beginner so should i use the Megs 105 Megs 205 or Megs 07 or 26 -

I tried The colorx I use that on my other vehicles but it wont cut this truck, well by hand that is.

[kcfirstbuild]

Here is a picture of my truck. Let me know what you think. I will be adding a 2/4 drop this spring after it all comes apart. I figure ill buff up the paint when i have all the panels off . It no longer has those huge mirrors.

[kcfirstbuild]

What's a good cleaning compound to use ?

[70c/10barebone]

First off, I love your truck as is but it'll look even better when cleaned up and polished.
Now here's my 2 cents.
All major car care brands have a compound and a finishing polish. Some, like Meguiars have dozens of different formulas. Most all will get the job done as long as you use them correctly. Some are for hand application only, some machine only, and some can be applied both ways. If you have access to power buffers like: random orbital, dual action, forced rotation dual action, and rotaries, they can really save you some elbow grease. That said they all cost money and since you were born with two great tools on the end of your arms you may want to do it by hand.

Take the time and learn how your choice of: application tool, abrasive product, foam pad cut/density, amount of pressure applied, size of your work section, and the time you spend in that section all work together to chew off the old dry paint leaving you with level shiny paint. The more you understand how the process works the better you'll be able to fine tune your system to get the results you want. Focus on small sections at a time a repeat the same amount of work throughout to ensure uniform material removal.

If you use foam pads clean them often. Every third time you apply more product works for me. If you don't they'll become saturated with old product, paint, and contaminates that will greatly diminish their effectiveness.


Here's a before/during of some polishing on my very thin faded paint for inspiration.
This was done by hand.




Notice the B-pillar and cowl are still untouched in this pic.

[kcfirstbuild]

wow so there is hope for my hood. ! Thanks for the write up.

[kyull67]

Your truck will buff out just fine! I just did my '63 Biscayne last weekend and it was basically the same color as yours.

[leddzepp]

Clay bar alone is a miracle worker.

[72BlckButy]

Originally Posted by 70c/10barebone

First off, I love your truck as is but it'll look even better when cleaned up and polished.
Now here's my 2 cents.
All major car care brands have a compound and a finishing polish. Some, like Meguiars have dozens of different formulas. Most all will get the job done as long as you use them correctly. Some are for hand application only, some machine only, and some can be applied both ways. If you have access to power buffers like: random orbital, dual action, forced rotation dual action, and rotaries, they can really save you some elbow grease. That said they all cost money and since you were born with two great tools on the end of your arms you may want to do it by hand.

Take the time and learn how your choice of: application tool, abrasive product, foam pad cut/density, amount of pressure applied, size of your work section, and the time you spend in that section all work together to chew off the old dry paint leaving you with level shiny paint. The more you understand how the process works the better you'll be able to fine tune your system to get the results you want. Focus on small sections at a time a repeat the same amount of work throughout to ensure uniform material removal.

If you use foam pads clean them often. Every third time you apply more product works for me. If you don't they'll become saturated with old product, paint, and contaminates that will greatly diminish their effectiveness.


Here's a before/during of some polishing on my very thin faded paint for inspiration.
This was done by hand.

What products/processes did you use on your truck?

Originally Posted by kyull67

Your truck will buff out just fine! I just did my '63 Biscayne last weekend and it was basically the same color as yours.

Now where are the updated pics???? Or do I have to make another trip down your way to see it.

[70c/10barebone]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

What products/processes did you use on your truck?

I use mostly Megs Mirror Glaze and Detailer line products but there's plenty of consumer line products that work just as well. It saves me a little $$ to buy larger quantities like one gallon jugs.

This paint had not been washed let alone polished in well over 14 years. It is so thin due to UV damage that the hood and the top of the front fenders are mostly primer. I chose to work only by hand because the green paint that is left is nearly transparent.

Process
Sprayed down with Megs All Purpose Cleaner Plus-- 5min dwell
washed with Megs deep crystal wash and grout sponge.
Air dried
Clayed with XMT speed clay and Megs Last Touch 1:1 dilution for lubrication
3 applications of Megs 105 worked with heavy and then moderate pressure in 12in square sections
2 applications of Megs 205 worked with moderate then light pressure
When working on paint this bad I use cheap Sam's Club terry towels to apply compound and polish. When they load up I just grab another one.

This is the point that I'm at right now but will finish with
2 applications of Megs 07
2 coats Megs 26

Disclaimer:
These products and this process worked for me on this particular paint. Whatever you choose, do a test spot of about 16 in square with the products all the way through the wax step. That way you won't do the whole vehicle and find you should have changed something in your process. If you like the results just repeat on the rest of the paint. It's one of the most valuable lessons I've learned in detailing.
Craig

[72BlckButy]

Craig that is an excellent write up on the process you used on your truck, and I completely agree that each project will require different steps to be used. Thanks for taking the time!